CHAMBERSBURG - Years will go by and new trends and technology will come and go, but libraries will always have the same mission at their core: Sharing.

“We have always shared knowledge. Historically that’s been through checking out books. That has not changed even in the modern era,” said Mark Story, the outgoing director of publicity and advancement for Franklin County Library System. “Our identity is still sharing, and how we share knowledge, the vehicles are what’s changing.”

Coyle Free Library is completing fundraising for its recent multimillion-dollar renovation, which boasts greatly expanded space, an in-house snack bar and a rooftop garden. But in recent years, libraries have changed internally as much as Coyle has changed its outward appearance.

The days of stern librarians demanding quiet are over. There will always be people who go to the library for quiet and solitude, but the libraries themselves are betting on community involvement as their passage to the next generations.

Look on the library system’s website and you will find a scrolling calendar of programs and events. Practically every day and every hour, there is something going on at one of the county’s libraries.

If it seems like a lot, your feeling wouldn’t be wrong. Among the eight libraries in the county system (Coyle Free and Grove Family in Chambersburg, Lillian S. Besore Memorial in Greencastle, Fort Loudon, Blue Ridge Summit, St. Thomas, and the bookmobile and book buggy) more than 500 programs are being offered, Story said. They include everything from story times for kids at all of the libraries to glamping (glamorous camping) in Blue Ridge Summit.

In a world dominated by Facebook and other social media where people seek out views similar to their own or, as some do, rile up the opposition, libraries serve as neutral spaces where people can meet face to face to educate one another.

At Coyle, the 11/30 Network, Franklin County Coalition for Progress, and Concerned Citizens of Franklin County all host regular meetings.

And practically anyone can start a program. “As long as it's something open to everyone, and it falls in line with our mission, we are happy to have them here,” said Alice Elia, who succeeded Story as director of publicity and advancement.

Diversity plays a key role in the success of programs where society is the focus.

“Personally, I feel like there’s tremendous value just in the community. I think knowing our neighbors and knowing who is around us is really important,” Elia said. “As far as broadening who we are and accepting the people that live around us. There’s huge value in having a public space where everybody can come together and everybody is welcomed and accepted.”

Story shared an example of the diversity at Coyle: “Every member of the community is here. I like to refer to the parking lot as evidence of that. Because if you look in our parking lot you will see a minivan from 1998 that’s barely running and right next to it is a Lexus, and that’s exactly who is in here. No matter what the socio-economic background, no matter the political slant, we're all here.”

Diversity plays a different role when it comes to the libraries’ use of technology: Libraries have been proactive in adopting the newest programs and gadgets to keep up with the modern world, Story said, while at the same time helping people at the opposite end of the spectrum boot up and get online.

“There are a lot of people in the community who are uncomfortable with computers or don’t have access to them. They can get access and they can be educated on how to use a computer, which is great,” Elia said.

She recalled helping a local farmer to set up and use an email account so that he could continue inputting seed orders after the seed company went digital, requiring him to swap paper order forms for email. The man soon bought his own laptop and began regularly coming to Lillian S. Besore Memorial Library in Greencastle to use the free wifi offered to patrons.

“It’s everyday knowledge for you and me, but it’s very new for them,” Elia said.

But libraries have much to offer to the computer whizzes too. Story and Elia encouraged people to not view the internet as the holder of all information. Library staff can find information people would probably not find on their own - and they can guarantee it’s accurate.

“If somebody is self-limiting to only searching online, they are actually ignoring the vast amount of information that could be found here at the library,” Story said.

Local libraries also are taking nontraditional routes to serve the community. Need some tools for a home project? You can borrow them from the library. Want to learn a language? The library system has a program that teaches 70 languages. Want to look up your family history? You can use ancestry.com at any of the county’s libraries for free.

The library system is always looking for new ideas on things to do and ways to adapt to fast-moving times.

Asked for his vision of the perfect library for the next generation, Story referred to his oldest daughter, who wants to follow her dad into “libraryland.” Young people are still struck by the power of the written word, even though the ways they receive it may change, he said.

“Maybe a generation ago you were shushed for being too loud or told you can’t eat or can’t run through the library. Those days are over. It’s up to the next generation to decide as a community what they want their own library to look like. And that next generation still loves the library.

“So, will libraries be here in the next generation? Yes, absolutely. What will it look like? It primarily is up to them, because it belongs to them.”

Change of leadership

Story for two years led Coyle library through its capital campaign supporting the renovation and expansion of its home at 102 N. Main St.. Every time a donation came in, he dinged a bell.

Now, he is passing the bell to Elia to carry the campaign to its conclusion. They worked as teammates throughout the campaign, so the transition is a smooth one, they said.

As he moves on to a new job, as director of development for an international nonprofit radio broadcast system based in Chambersburg, Story said he wants to assure the public that there is consistency in the leadership of the library system.

With the campaign near its end, Elia said she will focus on other efforts such as the annual fundraising.

The campaign has raised $1.93 million of the $2.5 million goal. All of that is cash gifts. If in-kind donations of labor and materials are factored in, it could top out the campaign. “That may be how the campaign is brought to its successful conclusion,” Story said.